Australian Citizenship Photo Online: Size and Rules

From Photo requirements for citizenship applications on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au (last updated 7 October 2026, read on 27 October 2026):

• The photo should be a digital JPEG between 70 KB and 3.5 MB.
• The preferred resolution is 1200 x 1600 pixels.
• A scan of a photo or a photograph of a photo is not acceptable.
• It must be no more than 6 months old, in colour, and show your full face.
• It must be unedited: do not remove the background, moles, wrinkles, scars or red eye.

Home Affairs recommends a professional passport photo provider such as Australia Post, with a digital copy emailed to you. It advises against online passport photo services and mobile apps. The photo must have:

• A neutral or light grey background that contrasts with your face.
• A clear, focused image with uniform lighting, no shadows or reflections, and natural skin tones.
• Your face centred and looking straight at the camera, not tilted, with your hair off your face so its edges are visible.
• Eyes open, mouth closed and a neutral expression (infants under 3 may have an open mouth).
• No glasses, unless you cannot remove them for medical reasons; vision impairment alone is not a reason.
• Religious head coverings only if your whole face shows from chin to forehead, in plain material. Jewellery must not cover your face.

1. 1

   Start from the original digital photo

   Use the file emailed by the photo provider, or the original from the camera. If it is HEIC from an iPhone, convert it with HEIC to JPG.

2. 2

   Check the shape

   1200 x 1600 is a 3:4 portrait shape. If the file has a different shape, use the 3:4 preset in Crop Image and only trim the edges, keeping your full face centred with space around your head.

3. 3

   Resize to 1200 x 1600

   Set 1200 x 1600 in Resize Image. This changes the pixel count only, not the content of the photo.

4. 4

   Check the file size

   It must be 70 KB to 3.5 MB. A 1200 x 1600 JPEG at good quality is normally a few hundred KB, comfortably inside. If it is over 3.5 MB, use Compress Image set to 3000 KB.

The ImmiCard application has its own limit. Its help page on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au (last updated 23 September 2024) asks for 1200 x 1600 pixels in vertical orientation, JPEG at fine compression, and a file no larger than 500 KB. After resizing to 1200 x 1600, use Compress Image set to 450 KB if it is above the limit. Supporting documents for that form are 600 dpi colour scans, with 10 MB in total across all attachments.

For paper applications the photo is passport sized: 35 to 40 mm wide and 45 to 50 mm high, with the face 32 to 36 mm from chin to crown. For other countries and Indian exams, see the photo and signature size chart.